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Tuesday, December 10, 2013

Eowyn: Not Just a Shieldmaiden

Eowyn has always been one of my
favorite characters in Lord of the Rings,
whether it's the movie or the book. I was drawn to her because of
her strength, her courage, her unrequited love (at first), and her
awesome swordfighting skills. But there's something more to Eowyn,
something that is often overlooked in favor of her being a
shieldmaiden, or a feminist.

When we first meet
her, Eowyn is a strong, beautiful warrior, the daughter of a king,
and seemingly completely untouchable. She loves her father and
brother, and her only wish is to fight with the Riders of Rohan.
Then, she meets Aragorn, who is staying with her father.

“Thus Aragorn for the first time
in the full light of day beheld Éowyn, Lady of Rohan, and thought
her fair, fair and cold, like a morning of pale spring that is not
yet come to womanhood. And she was now suddenly aware of him: tall
heir of kings, wise with many winters, greycloaked, hiding a power
that yet she felt. For a moment still as stone she stood, then
turning swiftly she was gone.”

-J.R.R. Tolkien,
The Two Towers

Aragorn is kind of
the epitome of everything Eowyn has been dreaming of. He's
courageous, kind, wise-- and he's the rightful king of all
Middle-Earth. He comes from a line of ancient kings. Eowyn falls in
love with him immediately, but not real, lasting love; she falls in
love with his glory and his crown. She wants to be queen.

This might sound
selfish and ambitious, but while it's a flaw, it isn't as bad as it
sounds. She really wants to help Middle-Earth and to do something
worthwhile, and being Aragorn's wife would give her the chance to do
that.

“As she stood before Aragorn she
paused suddenly and looked upon him, and her eyes were shining. And
he looked down upon her fair face and smiled; but as he took the cup,
his hand met hers, and he knew that she trembled at the touch.”

-J.R.R. Tolkien,
The Two Towers

So far, so good--
but Aragorn's heart is already lost to Arwen. He never encourages
her, but he knows she loves him. And Eowyn knows that he loves
someone else. This is where she really becomes endeared to the
reader, in my opinion; she loves Aragorn, but she knows that she can
never have him. She can't even ride with him into battle!

When Aragorn leaves
to fight the final battle with Sauron's armies, Eowyn asks to go with
him. When he refuses, she begs him on her knees. She can't bear to
see him go without her, and she wants to take part in the battle
which is coming. When he still refuses to let her go, telling her
that she has a duty at home, she gives up. But she rides to the
battle later with her country, “seeking death” because she knows
Aragorn will never love her.

She is wounded
badly defending the body of her uncle, but she is taken to the
Houses of Healing, where she is slowly slipping towards death. She
is healed by Aragorn, but she is still slow in recovering because she
doesn't want to live.

While still in the
Houses of Healing, she meets Faramir, who is in love with her. She
gets to know him better and better, and at last, she realizes her
heart and they acknowledge their love for each other.

“Then, Éowyn of Rohan, I say to
you that you are beautiful. In the valleys of our hills there are
flowers fair and bright, and maidens fairer still; but neither flower
nor lady have I seen till now in Gondor so lovely, and so sorrowful.
It may be that only a few days are left ere darkness falls upon our
world, and when it comes I hope to face it steadily; but it would
ease my heart, if while the Sun yet shines, I could see you still.
For you and I have both passed under the wings of the Shadow, and the
same hand drew us back.”

-Faramir,
The Return of the King

When she has fallen
in love with Faramir, she realizes what true love is, and how
mistaken she's been. She no longer wants to fight- she knows that
she can serve in other ways, and she decides to become a healer.

Eowyn is too often
portrayed as this untouchable warrior, but there is so much more
depth to her character. She makes mistakes and isn't always very
wise. As the story goes on, though, she matures and deepens, and
finds her true role in the kingdom.

This is the part
that's most important to me: not that she's good at swordfighting, or
that she has an unrequited crush on Aragorn, but that she realizes
that there's more to life than being a warrior.

Now, I'm not saying
that the place for women is always in the home, nor that all women
have to get married. But Eowyn is certainly not some sort of
feminist; instead, she has grand dreams about glory and fighting, but
realizes that sometimes the greatest thing a person can do is to
heal, and serve in a smaller way.

“I want to be a healer, and love
all things that grow and are not barren.”

About Me

I'm Miss Jane Bennet--on this blog, at least. I am, first and foremost, a born-again Christian, saved by grace. I'm also a Janeite, Mizzer, Tolkiendil, Phantom-fan, &c, &c; you probably get the picture. Among other things, I like to read, write, watch more period dramas than are good for me, and, of course, blog.